Nicky Katt in 2013. Photo:
Gary Miller/FilmMagic
Nicky Katt, the star of ’90s indie movies including Dazed and Confused, has died, according to multiple reports. He was 54.
Katt’s death was confirmed to Deadline and The Wrap by John Sloss, founder and partner of Sloss Law, the firm that provided the actor’s legal representation. His cause of death was not immediately available.
PEOPLE reached out to Sloss for comment and further information on Saturday, April 12.
Born on May 11, 1970, in South Dakota, Katt was a prolific character actor who frequently appeared in projects for director Richard Linklater, including his most well-known role in 1993’s Dazed and Confused. He also appeared in several Steven Soderbergh films, including the 2002 comedy Full Frontal (alongside Julia Roberts and Brad Pitt) and in the 2013 Liberace biopic Behind the Candelabra.
In Full Frontal, Katt played the darkly humorous role of an actor portraying Adolf Hitler in a fictional play called The Sound and the Fuhrer. Soderbergh told the Los Angeles Times in 2002 that he was “absolutely fearless” as an actor.
At the time, Katt also told the outlet that the role gave him an opportunity to step back and look at acting from an outside perspective.
“There’s so much desperation in the air, in Los Angeles especially. You don’t notice it in New York as much,” he said. “Everybody plays it a little cooler there, and people have a lot more interaction with each other. I think Stanley Kubrick called the vibe in L.A. a ‘low-level malevolence.’ It eats away at you at some point.”
Nicky Katt. SGranitz/WireImage
In Dazed and Confused, Katt starred as high school bully and wannabe greaser Clint Bruno, who picks a fight with Adam Goldberg‘s character Mike Newhouse.
Katt had many other memorable roles over the years. He was featured in 1999’s The Limey and in Christopher Nolan’s 2002 remake of Insomnia. He also played one of the villainous roles in A Time to Kill alongside Samuel L. Jackson and Matthew McConaughey.
On the small screen, the actor starred in the Fox drama series Boston Public for the show’s first three seasons. His character, Harry Senate, was a geology teacher who eventually won the heart of his difficult students.
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According to IMDb, Katt’s final acting role came in 2018 when he appeared in an episode of the Hulu comedy series Casual.
Katt’s fans and other entertainment figures began sharing their favorite memories of the actor following the news of his death on Saturday.
Flynn Picture Company CEO Beau Flynn wrote on X: “Heartbroken to learn about the way too early passing of the seriously talented actor #NickyKatt – God bless you my friend … What a privilege to know you and work with you on my first movie in 1995 – ‘johns.’ Rest in peace brother.”
“Such a bummer,” one fan commented on X. “One of those character actors I was always hyped to see pop up in something. [He was] especially terrific in Dazed & Confused, The Doom Generation & The Limey. Rest in peace to a real deal actor.”
